The appropriacy of an imported English language textbook: Malaysian teachers’ experiences

The adoption of the Common European Framework of References (CEFR) in the national educational blueprint has changed the overall landscape of English language education in Malaysia. After the alignment of the national English language curriculum in 2017, all locally published English language textbooks were taken over by imported ones, resulting in huge debates among the stakeholders in the country. This study examined teachers evaluations of two essential elements of a CEFR-aligned English language textbook—authenticity and intercultural competence—by adopting a mixed-method approach using a survey of 450 respondents and semi-structured interviews with 10 participants. Taking the Super Minds textbook as a subject, teacher participants rated the two elements as “moderate,” where they found that the imported textbook hardly accommodates learners from lower socioeconomic status. The absence of local cultural representations could worsen the learning process as teachers have to adapt almost all contents in the textbook to meet their learners profiles.